1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a material output system, a material output apparatus, and a material output system controlling method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a material output system, a material output apparatus, and a material output system controlling method for outputting meeting materials for prospective participants in meetings.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, when meeting materials are distributed in the form of paper (sheets) to meeting participants, the meeting organizer predicts the required number of meeting materials in advance, prints out the required number of materials or the required number plus some extra, and distributes the printouts to the participants at the start of the meeting. In this method, however, the extra printouts and the printouts for the participants who are actually absent from the meeting become redundant, resulting in print waste and paper waste. In order to solve such a problem, it has been conventionally proposed that meeting participants produce printouts on their own in advance or that a printout for a participant is produced every time the participant comes to a meeting place.
For example, Document 1 listed below discloses a material distributing apparatus capable of providing participants with a material for a meeting while saving paper resources and making a material preparation time longer than before. In response to input of a user ID, the material distributing apparatus extracts a meeting the user is expected to attend, from a meeting information master in which information for meetings to be held is stored. The material distributing apparatus then displays an extracted-meeting screen including a list of the extracted meetings on an operation panel. Then, when the user selects, from the list, the name of the meeting that he now plans to attend, the material distributing apparatus outputs a material in an output manner as desired by the user.
Document 2 listed below discloses an image forming system, which can manage print history information for each meeting participant and prints one copy of a meeting material for each participant onsite when the participant arrives at a meeting room. In this image forming system, if a meeting participant owns an RFID tag and is present in a meeting room, an RFID reader reads out information of the RFID tag in a noncontact manner. The read identification information of the RFID tag is received by a printer server. The printer server determines whether the owner is a meeting participant based on the information of the RFID tag and determines whether a print request is made for the participant. It is also determined whether a printout has already been produced based on the print history. If the owner is a meeting participant and if a printout has not yet been produced, the printer server obtains print data and transmits the print data to a printer. The printer server then saves the print history as the print request is made.
Document 3 listed below discloses a material printing system capable of printing and distributing materials in line with actual meeting participants. When the user who wishes to attend a prescribed meeting enters his identification information into an authentication device installed in a meeting room, a meeting specifying means refers to a meeting information storing means to obtain identification information of a meeting whose material printable time includes the present time, among meetings to be held in that meeting room. If the user is a prospective participant in the meeting, a material printing means outputs print data to a printer in that meeting room. On the other hand, meeting participants can access a meeting management server in advance from their terminal devices to print out meeting materials using another printer.    Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-72848    Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-266977    Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-40716
However, in the material distributing apparatus disclosed in Document 1, each individual meeting participant is required to select all the meeting materials from the list of the extracted meetings and print the materials. Therefore, it is extremely cumbersome to distribute meeting materials to participants.
In the image forming system disclosed in Document 2, the participants cannot produce printouts unless they are present in the meeting room, and they cannot produce printouts at a place other than the meeting place or cannot give a print instruction from a place other than the meeting place. Therefore, if there are many participants in a meeting or if a large number of copies of a meeting material is to be printed, the wait time for printing becomes long and the participants may be late for the start of the meeting.
In Document 3 disclosed in the material printing system, in order to obtain a meeting material in advance, meeting participants access the meeting management server on their own to search for the meeting material in the meeting management server. Thus, it is extremely cumbersome for participants to obtain a meeting material in advance.